Duke of Ormond, by Harley, St John, I fhould be configned to a place of reSwift, Arbuthnot, Prior, and feveral pose. Of consequence I mounted to the other men of the first talents, we made bench, wherein I am now happily feated. fo glorious a stand, and raised fo great But as many philofophers, both ancient a bustle about war, that the latter party and modern, have faid that there must was obliged to call in twelve new affo- be a mixture of good and evil, happiciates to make peace. nefs and mifery, in this world, I fhall obferve that my family, once fo numerous and refpectable, have not met with the fuccefs in life that I could wish. Indeed, the men have almoft totally difcarded them, and I verily believe, bad not the ladies become their protectors, that except the few who practife the law under me, they would have been wholly annihilated. I hear his Lordship is coming, or I fhould be more diffufe in my thanks to that amia ble part of the creation, for the favour they have fhewn us; but being obliged to attend him, must defer them to another opportunity. When that offers, whether I am placed upon a throne, or have become part of the stock in trade of a fhoe-black, I shall be equally ready to exprefs my gratitude to them for their benevolence, and to you, Sir, for your attention." "This was a stroke of fate, or politics, that we did not recover from through the remainder of this reign. Indeed, the contention that I had been engaged in had made me so peevish aud paffionate, that my friends thought me highly qualified for the fcience of the law. When I first appeared at the bar, a defect in my crown was obferved, and as I was furrounded by wits, fome faid that I was become crack-brained with study; others, who had a fatirical turn, ascribed my fracture to a lefs reputable caufe: however, as, in my prefent profeffion, it was equally my bufinefs to find or to conceal flaws, my genius fuggefted to me the idea of clapping a black filk patch behind, which effectually covered the object of their mirth or animadverfion. "This, which might be called "fnatching a grace," was thought fo happy an expedient, that I foon became the fashion; for you must know, Sir, there is a fashion even in the Courts of Judicature. I foon leaped from without to within the bar, and when there, as I made more noife than any of my brethren, it was thought necessary that At this inftant fome perfon entered the chamber. I dropped the Reports the illufion fled; yet what I had heard or imagined had, left a fuficient impreffion upon my mind to incite me to recollect what I have here laid before the public. ALBERT AND EMMA. WE now return to Albert, who foon had, for two years, received great adgained that introduction, at the cottage vantage from a frequent intercourse with of Bernard, which he fo anxiously a lady of birth and distinguished talents, fought, and by frequenting the fociety who had, on the decease of her husband, of this worthy old man, he had daily retired into a small habitation, situated opportunities of feeing, and converfing in a vale near Bernard's cottage: this with his lovely daughter.-Powerfully amiable widow had lived many years in charmed at firft fight by her perfonal the great world, and had partaken both attractions, he now found, on acquaint- of its profperity and adverfity, fufficientance, an irresistable fascination in the fuperior beauties of her mind. Nature had formed her fentiments juft, deli cate, and virtuous, and her education ly to fhew her the inftability of fortune: with her beloved lord, he had foft the fuperfluities of life; but fatisfied with 5 Y 2 com competence, the devoted the remainder feet his honourable vows. of her days to folitude and religion. She conceived for Emma, then juft fifteen, a trong attachment, and eafily obtained Bernard's permiffion for his daughter's frequent vifits. The good woman delighted in cultivating a mind whofe capacity and genius promised every fuccefs. Emma read aloud for hours, uninterruptedly, to her kind patronefs, and read with an attention, that impreffed upon her memory every thing worthy to be retained; and the fubjects were conftantly calculated to improve the morals, and enlarge the understanding. At the end of two years, death ftopped the progrefs of Emma's education, by fuddenly depriving her of this moft excellent friend; her little income reverted to the family of her husband, and the had nothing to leave the child of her adoption, but the imple furniture of her little dwelling. Emma mourned with affectionate regret, a lofs fo great, but determined to perfevere in thofe ftudies, for which fhe had acquired fo correct a tafte, and which he was happily enabled to do, by becoming the poffeffor of the valuable and felect collection of books, which formed the fmall library of the deceafed. By rifing very early in the anorning, Emma was enabled to purfue her favourite employment, without tref paffing on thofe hours, when her filial duties or domeftic cares demanded her attention. Young Albert foon discovered in the converfation of Bernard's lovely daughter, a well informed mind, and an underftanding which blended the artless fimplicity of rural life, with the more refined fentiments of cultivated educaion. The mental accomplishments of Emma, completed the conqueft which her beauty had begun, in the heart of Albert; nor was it long ere a reciprocal and gentle firme 'was communicated to her boom. The ardent lover, in the first flattering moment of afpiring hope, declared his paffion, and offered at her She blushed modeftly, and referred her affent to her father's will. The heart of Bernard, at this unexpected propofal, felt all a father's rapture; but the strict rectitude of his fentiments checked the momentary joy, and with that fincerity which marked his character, he declined fo unequal an alliance, and reprefented to his young friend the impropriety of his forming any union unfanctioned by his family. "Accept our gratitude,” said Bernard, "for the honour which you intend us : were you lefs distinguished by rank and fortune, Ifhould be proud to call you fon. Emma's only dower is virtue, and her birth is too humble for her to become your wife. Never fhall falfe vanity, or fordid interest, betray me to an action at which my confcience would revolt. I will ftill be worthy your efteem; and the child whom you have honoured with your love fhall merit, at least by her conduct, the rank to which you would generoufly raife her. But you must meet no more; this is the ftern decree of unfullied virtue, and irreproachable honour. Return to your native country, with every with that grateful friendship can bestow." Albert had liftened in filent admiration to the words of Emma's venerable father: when Bernard ceafed to fpeak, he thus replied, "Could I offer a diadem to your incomparable daughter, the would, by accepting it, confer, and not receive the honour. I would not have prefumed to folicit her affections or her hand, could I have admitted a doubt of my father's approbation of a choice directed by reafons and fan&tioned by virtue. I will renew no more my humble fuit till authorised by him to demand the hand of Emma. Farewell! my return hither shall be as rapid as the impatience of love and hope can render it." Thus feparated the venerable Bernard and the youthful Albert; nor could all the moving rhetoric of the latter prevail upon the father of Emma to permit a parting fcene between the Jovers. forget the confpicuous virtues of her loft Albert, at leaft fhe will humble her ambitious hopes, which had the prefumption to foar above her obfcure birth, and afpire to an alliance to which fhe had no pretenfions, but what the delufive voice of love and Albert had awakened in her bofom." Bernard folded her in his arms with all a father's fond delight; and applauded the fentiments, which flowed from a heart capable of facrificing every inclination to that duty, which the owed him. Emma poffeffed a strength of mind fuperior to her years, and though the tried in vain to forget an object fo tenderly be loved, fhe fo far reafoned herself into a perfuafion, that the friends of Albert would never confent to their marriage, without which he was refolutely determined never to accept his hand, that the renounced every idea of being united to him, and banished the feducing hope of beholding him again. lovers. He wifely thought the impaf- Emma funk at the feet of her venerable fioned adieu of Albert might leave an fire, and embracing his knees, "Never, impreffion too tender on the heart of never," exclaimed fhe, while tears rolEmma, and which, as he forefaw, led down her pale checks, "fhall your would endanger her peace of mind, if child wander from the path of honour! indulged; he therefore determined to -You shall guide and direct all her acufe every argument, which could ba- tions, your counfels fhall fortify the nifh the flatterer hope from her bofom. weakness of her heart, and affift her to Bernard returned not to his cottage fubdue every fentiment difapproved by till Albert had quitted the village: you; and if he cannot immediately when he entered, Emma advanced to meet him, her eyes furcharged with tears the prefented him with a letter which Albert, retiring to write for a few moments before he mounted his horfe, had ordered his fervant to leave as he paffed the door. It breathed the language of eternal love; and affured her, that as he quitted her only to accelerate their union, she might foon expect his return to claim her promifed hand: Bernard folding up the letter when he had read it, and putting it in his pocket, thus addreffed his trembling daughter, who waited filently her fate: "Beware, my child, how you fuffer your heart to betray your happiness; truft not in the proteftations of a lover. An inconfiderate vow is more frequently broken than kept.-You may be the prefent object of Albert's affections, but man, by nature inconftant, can easily transfer his heart to fucceffive objects. The world, will probably foon efface you from his remembrance; or even fhould he still retain his faith unfhaken, can you flatter yourself that his family will admit into their fociety an humble villager, whofe birth they would proudly deem unworthy their alliance Never fhall my Emma's hand be united to a husband unfanctioned by the authority of his parents.-Make, therefore, every effort, my beloved child, to conquer a prepoffeffion fatal in its tendency, and hopeless in its effects. You have never yet deceived me; and I have that confidence in your difcretion, which perfuades me you will not deviate from the path of rectitude: nor, by a clandeftine conduct, act unworthy of your own spotless character." As While Emma was thus meritoriouЛly fubmitting to the rigid laws of filial duty, fate was haftening to involve her in a fnare more dangerous than that which the had fo nobly overcome. the was fpinning, one fultry day, in a bower of honey fuckles, near the gate of their little cottage, accompanied by one of her young female neighbours, the Baron de Morenzi paffed by, on horfeback, and cafting his eyes on the fair. Emma, was fo ftruck with, her beauty, that he fuddenly stopped, and difmounting approached the wicket. Taking off his hat, he complained of a dizziness in his head, for which he politely requested a glafs of water: Emma arofe, and tripping into the houfe, houfe, quickly returned with a chryftal "Permit me to affure you," faid Berdraught, which the prefented to him nard, "that a life of honeft industry, with a native grace that accompanied and incorrupted innocence, has already all her motions. He had, during her infared to me that happiness in its clofhort abfenee, informed himfelf that the fing fcene, which an irreproachable conwas the daughter of Bernard, who fer- fcience only, can beftow, but which ved him as under-bailiff. He accepted riches can never give." "You have a the cup from her hand, and while he daughter, however," interrupted the Bafwallowed the contents, he drank at rop, fmiling, "too young to have athe fame time, from her bewitching dopted your ftoical ideas,' I have a eyes, a draught which spread an irrefif- daughter," retorted Bernard, "who tible poifon through his veins. The inherits her mother's virtue, and has Baron was indebted to nature for a fine, been taught by precept and example perfon, and to art, for that impofing thofe fentiments, which have rendered elegance of address, which seldom fail ed to infinuate his wifhes with fuccefs, when the dominion of a tender paffion tempted him to glofs over his haughty demeanour with a diffembled condefcenfion. Juft as he was returning the cup to the lovely Emma, who stood to receive it, with her looks bent upon the ground, to avoid the fixed gaze of his penetrating eyes, Bernard fuddenly appeared, and afforded his daughter an opportunity to retire into the cottage. man. The good old bailiff accofted his lord with a refpect, which, while it acknowledged his fuperiority as a master, was unmixed with that kind of fervile humility, which demeans the dignity of He had never before attracted the notice of the Baron, who forgetting the distance, which birth-and for tune had placed between them, recollected only that he was the father of Emma, and might, perhaps, affift him in the views which he had formed to corrupt her virtue. Accofting him, therefore, with kind familiarity, he requefted that he might have a furvey of his, little dwelling, which he should be welcome to exchange for one more convenient and comfortable." My Lord," replied Bernard, in this humble dwelling my infant eyes first opened, and here I would wish to close their aged lids." "But," interrupted the Baron, "you begin to bow under the weight of years, and stand in need of rest and indulgence; I fhall feel a true fatisfaction in rendering your latter days happy." her too contented in her situation, to harbour an ambitious wifh in her bofom." The Baron reddened at these words, but commanding, for his own fecret purpofes, the rifing indignation of his mind, he condefcendingly bade the venerable Bernard adieu; saying, that he ftill hoped, mature reflection would induce him to accept the favours which he was anxious to confer upon a man, whose respectable character, and long life of unfullied virtue, claimed a fingular reward. So faying, he mounted his horse, and returned to the castle, revolving in his mind, every practicable scheme for the feduction of the devoted Emma. He reflected that he never had beheld a female half so lovely; and as he on no occafion had accustomed himfelf to combat his inclinations, or fubdue his paflions, he refolved to lofe no time in accomplishing his defign. The humble fituation of Emma, gave him, in his opinion, an uncontrouled right to her fubmiffion; but he was folicitous, if poffible, to gain an afcendency over her heart, by awakening with her gratitude tenderer fentiments; for this purpose he determined to wear the mask of hy pocrify a little longer, and then to at tempt, by every art of foft deception, to fecure her affections in his favour. A week elapfed after the Baron's vifis, at the cottage, without any renewal of his great oers; a circumftance that contributed to difpel those fears which had been awakened in the bofom of Bernard, by the interview of the Baron with Emma, and his generous profef- bours of the day, or attend him to our fions of friendship to himself-profef- cottage, if he will permit me to lead Jons, fo oppofite to the natural ferocity him thither." of his temper. Bernard confidered them no longer in any light, but in that of a temporary inclination toward humanity and kindness, which could have no root in a foil fo barren. He purfued, therefore, without further fufpicion, his ufual labours; taking, however, the precaution never to leave his daughter without a companion, in his abfence. "Be no longer anxious, my lovely child," replied the matron, your fa ther will be here at the hour when the turret bell fhall call the family to din ner; he promised to meet my lord's fteward, to receive fome orders from the Baron." The unfufpecting Emma thanked her kind informer, and was departing, but prefed condefcendingly to continue there till the return of BerOne morning when he had quitted nard, and, in the interval, to take a the cottage about an hour, a hafty mef- furvey of the apartments in the caftle, fenger from the castle terrified Emma, in fome of which alterations were makwith an account that her father was ta- ing, fhe confented to wait her father's ken with a fudden indifpofition as he return. While her obliging guide was paffed the gates; and having been fup- leading her into a large faloon, fhe turnported into the houfe by fome of the ed round to feek for Agnes, whom, till domeftics, who obferved him finking that inftant, fhe imagined to have been on the ground, the housekeeper had ftill near her fide. She expreffed fome thought it proper to fend for his daugh- anxiety at her abfence to the housekeepter, who, by being accustomed, per er, who obferved, that her friend had haps, to these seizures, knew best how remained in the first hall, and immedito treat them. The trembling Emma, ately fent a woman, then descending a alarmed to the utmost degree at a dif- staircase, to escort her to them. Emorder which had never yet attacked her ma, in the mean time, purfued the fleps beloved father, delayed not a moment of her conductrefs, who having paffed to follow her conductor; and taking several state apartments, opened a door the arm of her friend Agnes, who had that led to a library, and which she had been listening to her as she was reading no fooner entered, and directed the ataloud, proceeded with tottering steps to tention of Emma to a fine portrait of the castle, diftant from her humble cot- the late Marchionefs de Clairville, that tage about a mile. When the arrived hang over the chimney, than fhe difapin the great hall, fhe met with a female peared. Emma, for fome moments, of a refpectable appearance, and of an was loft in contemplating the angelic advanced age. She eagerly inquired countenance of a woman, whofe fad fate after her father, and earnestly requeft- fhe had heard fo frequently and fo tened to be permitted to fee him. The derly deplored, when fhe was fuddenly housekeeper anfwered Emma, with the roufed from these melancholy reflecappearance of much fenfibility, that Ber- tions, by the opening of a glass door, nard was fo perfectly recovered, by a which led to a colonnade filled with excordial which the had administered, that otic plants. If the felt embaraffed by he had returned to his daily occupation, the appearance of the Baron, who enignorant that his illness could have reach- tered thence into the library, what were ed his daughter's ears. "Thank hea- her fenfations, when, on making an ven!" exclaimed the innocent Emma, immediate attempt to quit it herself, "O madam! accept my humble grati- fhe found the door of the apartment tude for your kind care, and fuffer one 'locked, and beheld the Baron de Moof the domeftics to direct me to the fpot renzi at her feet, in an attitude of rewhere I may find my dear father; I fpectful tenderness. will watch by his fide during the lat (To be continued.) |